InLiquidhttps://inliquid.org
Fri, 16 Mar 2018 22:12:57 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.8.5https://inliquid.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/cropped-favicon-32x32.pngInLiquidhttps://inliquid.org
3232Susan Benarcik – Pysansky Workshophttps://inliquid.org/member-news/susan-benarcik-pysansky-workshop/
Thu, 08 Mar 2018 16:38:04 +0000https://inliquid.org/?p=84681See Full Post]]>Susan Benarcik is hosting a workshop! Create Beautiful Ukrainian Easter Eggs in this three hour Pysanky workshop. You will learn how to use traditional Ukrainian folk designs, dyes, and a wax-resist method to create beautiful Ukrainian Easter eggs. This class is for adults. $50.00. Sunday March 25th, 1-4 P.M. Highlands Art Garage, 2003 W 17th St,Wilmington, DE 19806. To Register: http://susanbenarcik.com/2018/02/16/create-beautiful-ukrainian-easter-eggs/
]]>Susan Benarcik – WHYY Interviewhttps://inliquid.org/member-news/susan-benarcik-whyy-interview/
Thu, 08 Mar 2018 16:33:53 +0000https://inliquid.org/?p=84678See Full Post]]>While installing her exhibition at the Buzz Ware Town Center Gallery in Arden, Susan Benarcik sat down with Brian Drouin for an insightful conversation about her studio practice. The interview aired on Friday, February 23, at 5:30 P.M. and 11 P.M. Tune into WHYY’s “First” a Delaware news program. Here’s a link to the interview: http://video.whyy.org/video/3009797765/
]]>InLiquid and Melissa Maddonni Haims at Spring/Break Art Showhttps://inliquid.org/member-posts/inliquid-and-melissa-maddonni-haims-at-springbreak-art-show/
Tue, 06 Mar 2018 21:05:11 +0000https://inliquid.org/?p=84595See Full Post]]>InLiquid presents a new body of soft sculptures by Melissa Maddonni Haims at Spring/Break Art Show in New York City. Her signature installations capture the “Stranger Comes to Town” theme in a provocative, dynamic and interactive way. Her anthropomorphic forms evoke the feeling of being in unfamiliar places, inviting viewers to imagine otherworldly beings in small spaces, while themselves being fully immersed in a large-scale, tangible installation.
]]>Hobby or Business? How the Government Sees Your Art Practicehttps://inliquid.org/from-inliquid/hobby-or-business-how-the-government-sees-your-art-practice/
Tue, 06 Mar 2018 18:23:05 +0000https://inliquid.org/?p=84434See Full Post]]>

A peek inside an artist’s studio and their tax-deductible supplies. Image courtesy of artist Scott Schultheis

There’s a fine, confusing line between the “hobby” artist and “self-employed” artist–especially in the eyes of the IRS.

If you’re an artist with a substantial practice and record of sales, you want to be considered a self-run business. It will save you more in the long run on tax returns.

Hobby artists can claim tax-deductible expense on their generated income, but it will be considered under miscellaneous itemized deductions on Schedule A, which are deductible only to the extent that they exceed of your adjusted gross income. So, no income = no tax deductions. Also, hobby losses cannot offset other incomes.

However, if the artist is making, or plans to make, honest profit and carries on like a business, the IRS probably considers their work as a business. In this case, the artist might be able to deduct the full amount of their expenses by filing a Schedule C, including net loss. That amounts to much more savings over time than someone considered a hobby artist by the IRS.

How does an artist know where they fall?

Do they keep records of their receipts, invoices, funding, overhead and material expenses, etc.?

Do they intend on turning profit in the near future? Do they have the knowledge to do this?

If you’re an artist undergoing the switch to bona fide business, make sure to keep track of all expenses such as studio fees, shipping, framing, materials, utilities, insurance, repairs, and business travel. Document every source of income including sales, commissions, grants, awards, consignment, and wages for artwork. Keep track of your unsold inventory. Spreadsheets and accounting apps help you see and improve your business practices while proving your intent to earn a profit (should you ever be questioned).

We recommend those who are new to converting their practice to a business to consult an accountant who is specifically knowledgeable about the arts or find a workshop* specifically for filing taxes as an artist to learn how to do it yourself.

]]>Diane Burko at Rowan Universityhttps://inliquid.org/member-news/diane-burko-at-rowan-university/
Thu, 01 Mar 2018 18:59:40 +0000https://inliquid.org/?p=84454See Full Post]]>Exploring the confluence of arts, science, and activism, Rowan University Art Gallery will showcase the work of Diane Burko in Vast and Vanishing. Opening Reception and artists talk will take place on Thursday, March 8.
]]>Consumption at Taller Puertorriqueñohttps://inliquid.org/member-news/consumption-at-taller-puertorriqueno/
Wed, 28 Feb 2018 18:13:39 +0000https://inliquid.org/?p=84422See Full Post]]>Jaime Alvarez’s exhibition Consumption, rooted from his residency at RAIR, will have an opening reception at Taller Puertorriqueño on March 2nd and a workshop with him on March 24th.
]]>A Journey Between Two Worlds and All Its Parallels: An Interview with Enzhao Liuhttps://inliquid.org/interviews/a-journey-between-two-worlds-and-all-its-parallels-an-interview-with-enzhao-liu/
Fri, 23 Feb 2018 20:34:37 +0000https://inliquid.org/?p=84190I had the pleasure of sitting down with one of Philadelphia’s rising artists, Enzhao Liu, in his colorful studio in West Philly. Liu creates large, exciting works that focus on nature, but his predominant passion is, literally, for the birds. Utilizing a wide variety of materials and a natural sense of color harmony and pattern, his works play between the natural and artificial, poking at the despair of our natural environments with the colorful, surreal realities he creates on canvas. His traditional academic training amongst two cultures playfully informs his whimsical touch.

The results are thoughtful, passionate pieces that both speak of his concerns and pique our sense of innocent wonder.

Suji: So, can you tell me a little bit about your background?

Enzhao: I went to the Central Academy of Fine Art (CAFA) in Hong Kong, which is a very good art school in China. I also completed an MFA at CAFA before finishing my MFA here [at PAFA in Philadelphia].

S: What led you to the United States?

E: It started in my graduate program in China…I had a lot of time to think about my future. I read a lot of news about the arts and was constantly reading articles about successful international artists, such as Takashi Murakami and Cai Guo-Qiang—very influential artists that traveled from Asia to the US to start their art careers. I felt like I also needed to go abroad. I felt I needed to get outside of Beijing.

After my first year of the program (2014), I applied to be a sort of exchange student within the US. I proposed that I wanted to see the many museums along the east coast to inspire my art. I was approved and got to see many different shows and museums for two months, spanning from D.C. to Boston. It was that visit that made me definitely want to come here.

S: How did that trip influence your work?

E: My trip exposed me to some works by David Hockney. After returning to China, I read A Bigger Message: Conversations with David Hockney, a book that addressed many important topics in painting, including personal style. I then wanted to try something new. I painted a swimming pool from my friend’s house, where I spent some time during the remaining summer break. The idea was inspired by Hockney. I took many different pictures at different angles of my friend’s pool and used them as the reference to paint one large artwork made up of nine canvases each painted in a different perspective.

S: I can see the Hockney influence now, especially on your use of color. I also notice you have a series of these stylized New York Times paintings…were these also inspired by your visit to the States?

E: Yes. I wanted to visually express my journey across the east coast, so I painted a series of newspapers as a travel journal. I first painted a self-portrait and my personal stories on the New York Times. I made another mixed-media drawing where I filled a homemade wooden box with all of my travel tickets and passes from the States.

S: These pieces are very charming…they really encompass a sense of nostalgia. And were these at all for your program or only personal works?

E: Thank you. They were just personal works. I wanted to document every material I saved from the States—small toys, metro passes, brochures, show tickets—like a memory diary.

S: The fact that they were your personal works is what adds to their genuine charm. What about the New York Times appealed to you?

E: It’s a major newspaper here, but also a well-known symbol internationally. I felt using the New York Times was a strong vehicle to express my feelings in China about my memories in the States. It was a very exciting time for me.

S: Why did you decide to pursue a 2nd MFA in the States?

E: I could have just gotten a studio here, but I think it’s easier to learn in school. Just coming from another country, I felt I’d lose out on opportunities such as meeting other artists and gallery owners.

S: I can understand that. Was it during your graduate study at PAFA you developed a passion for painting birds?

E: No, actually, it began during my life drawing sessions at CFA. The setups would always include human models, plants, and birds. This is considered very classic in China, to paint birds and flowers.

S: So, you realized your connection with birds during your undergraduate studies. When did your work become focused on them?

E: In 2015, the last semester of my MFA in China, I did one painting of hundreds of birds for my exit show. In China, calling “a hundred” of something means “a lot”. Ever since that painting, they are the only thing I work from. I really enjoyed it.

The idea came from a real experience. While visiting an art museum renovated from an old temple in Beijing, I saw this huge tree in the backyard with hundreds of a single type of bird. This work started with me just painting one species, but realized it didn’t look how I wanted and had the idea to paint many different birds coexisting in one tree. From there, my concept developed. I became more interested in nature and habitat destruction. I am creating an ideal, surreal world for these birds.

S: That’s beautiful. It’s a common concept for artists to “create a space” in their paintings, usually for themselves, but in your case, you’re creating a space for these wonderful creatures…what do you want viewers to take away from your works?

E: I would like for people to care more about animals and nature. I want to remind people that this is not a completely human civilization. We need to care about the beautiful animals out there that we are taking space away from.

S: A noble feat for an artist. What’s next for you?

E: After my upcoming show at Bryn Mawr, I really want to push my concept deeper. I want to paint a peacock made up of birds, glass, crystals; and trees made of metal and junk materials to show the artifice of what nature is becoming. I want to show the evolution that is happening and how animals are adapting to today’s pollution.

I also want to get into product design and collaborate with graphic designers. I have an owl character in mind that I want to bring to life, give it a name and personality, and develop it as a brand for merchandise.